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A tale of a Palmetto 1855 Sidehammer "Root" Revolver

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Joined
May 10, 2021
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I have been wanting a Root revolver for quite a long time. They are very hard to come by and expensive when you do. A couple of weeks ago, I remembered that B P Arn had offered one for sale some time ago. So I inquired with him about it. By a strange turn of events and a little luck, he still had the revolver in question, and made me a very gracious offer that I couldn't refuse. Money changed hands, and the revolver was now mine!! Very exciting!!

Here is how the revolver arrived. It looks like a functioning gun, but it is far from it! B P Arn had put all the little parts in their respective positions, just so they wouldn't get lost. I appreciated that.

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The gun was complete except for the loading lever latch, which I knew was missing. I figured I could locate one no problem. I soon found out just how wrong I was about finding parts for this little gem!

First thing I did was disassemble it to take stock in what I had. The guts of this thing look absolutely nothing like any other Colt.

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I went online and looked for any helpful information I could find. I soon found out, there isn't any! I did manage to find an exploded view of the gun, and that helped a little. But for the most part, I was on my own. It's kind of like one of those Chinese jigsaw puzzles, where you think you know where the pieces go, until you try to put them in place. And then realize that this ain't gonna be easy! But after much fiddling and a lot of trial and error, I was able to get it back together and functioning. I was pretty proud of myself!

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Now that it functioned, I needed a loading lever latch. Since I had already tried to source parts and came up empty handed, I knew I'd be making one. So I went to my junk drawer and found a latch that I had removed from a 51 Navy. Of course it was way too big in every dimension, so I set about whittling it down with files. I eventually got it down to size, and installed it. It looks just right and more importantly it functions as it should. Excellent result!

Now that it was a 100% functioning gun, I planned on taking it to the range and giving it a little workout. But fate wasn't having it! By now I had cocked and un-cocked this thing 100's of times, and it worked perfect. Then all of a sudden it wouldn't **** anymore. I noticed the trigger was loose in the slot too. So I grabbed it and it slid right out of the gun. Only thing was, it was in two pieces! It broke in half right at the bolt hole!

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My best guess is, it was either worn out, or just a weak design. Not sure which. At any rate, I will have to fashion a new one as parts are unobtainium for this thing. I will update this thread once I have one made. Here it is as it sits today.

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I'd really like to thank B P Arn for giving me such a deal on this pistol. Otherwise, I'd probably never have one. Thank you Sir!
 
I am really glad you are happy with the gun, and very impressed with the job you did fitting a loading lever latch! Very nice.

It is great to see that gun together and working... except for the broken trigger! I hope you will be able to make a new one. I have a lot of cheap, stamped steel wrenches that came with various tools and appliances over the years. Maybe something like that can be used to make a trigger. If you can't salvage the trigger spring, I have made many similar small flat springs (such as hand springs for Colt and Remington style revolvers) out of bobby pins. None of those improvised springs have ever failed.
 
. . . . . I have made many similar small flat springs (such as hand springs for Colt and Remington style revolvers) out of bobby pins. None of those improvised springs have ever failed.

Likewise, those very light coil springs that are in those cheap, throwaway, retractable ball point pens that are “giveaways” by some stores/shops, come in handy for some gun applications.
 
I am indeed happy B P! I've wanted one of these for a long time. They were always just a little out of reach.

That's a good idea using an old wrench for the trigger material. I have a bunch of those myself that are of no other use. I'll check it out and see if using one would be feasible. As for the spring, it looks to be useable. It's not broken and still has tension. But you're right, a bobby pin would work. I've made several hand springs for open top Colts that way.

You're right too Jim. Those old ballpoint pen coil springs come in handy too. I cut the barrel down on a 51 Navy and had to shorten the loading lever to match. In the process of taking it apart, I lost the latch spring. A ballpoint pen spring worked perfectly as a replacement.
 
Thanks William. These darn things are hard to find. And demand seems to be pretty high. I would think that if someone made a batch, they'd sell out in a day or so. The tooling from Palmetto has to be floating around out there somewhere.

I think I found just the piece of metal I need to fabricate the trigger from. I'll be getting started on that right away. Hopefully it will be a functioning piece this week sometime.
 
Thanks William. These darn things are hard to find. And demand seems to be pretty high. I would think that if someone made a batch, they'd sell out in a day or so. The tooling from Palmetto has to be floating around out there somewhere.

I think I found just the piece of metal I need to fabricate the trigger from. I'll be getting started on that right away. Hopefully it will be a functioning piece this week sometime.
That's an impressive find and impressive work you've done on it. I look forward to a glowing range report when you finish that trigger.
 
Very rare item. I have had some Palmetto repros that were excellent. they made
items that no one else would tackle. Root also designed a revolving carbine,
that I would love to have if they were replicated. Bought a Palmetto 1858 NMA
that is a tackdriver and a favorite--outshooting my ROA at the time. Sadly,
they are out of business. The last Palmetto stuff was sold by Deer Creek years back.
 
I must confess the sidehammer has always been my least favourite Colt percussion revolver. It has been an eyeopener to see it has so many fans.
 

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